Couple stuck in Turkey after baby born prematurely

Wolfe was born prematurely and is unable to breathe on his own

A newlywed couple fear they face huge hospital bills after their son was prematurely born while they were on honeymoon in Turkey.

The insurers of Stephen, 27, and Louise Crawshaw-Bowen, 37, said they would not cover their medical costs.

Their son Wolfe is now in intensive care to help him with his breathing, meaning they are now stuck in Turkey.

Rock Insurance said it was in "close contact" with the family and was offering "non-financial help".

The pair had a policy with a subsidiary of Rock, Insurefor. Wolfe's birth was two days out of the timeframe in which they were covered.

Louise had a "fit to fly" medical note before the family left the UK for their honeymoon earlier in July.

But that took an unexpected turn when Louise was rushed to hospital on Monday in Antalya, suffering from bleeding and pain.

Stephen and Louise spoke to the BBC from Turkey

The couple, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, said there was a "language barrier" between them and the staff at the hospital when Stephen, originally from Halifax in West Yorkshire, was asked to sign an €800 (£670) bill for treatment.

But that initial bill was one of several the couple would get - including another for thousands of pounds to allow Louise to leave hospital, and ongoing costs for Wolfe's care.

Wolfe was delivered seven-and-half weeks early, he is unable to breathe on his own and has an infection in his lungs.

Doctors in Turkey said he could require at least another three weeks' hospital care, and then might not be strong enough to immediately fly after that.

The newlyweds said they might have to sell their house in Wiltshire due to their predicament.

Wolfe was born weighing 4.4lb and requires three more weeks in ICU

The couple have also not been allowed to spend any significant time with their newborn son.

Louise said: "Neither of us feel like we've just had a baby, it's the strangest feeling we've ever gone through.

"We can't bond with him, we've not touched him once.

"Even when I had the c-section they didn't show us Wolfe until five hours later.

"For 30 seconds a day we literally look at him and then walk away.

"It's really stressful, the other children are asking about him and it's just difficult."

Louise was given a a spinal block for the operation which she said is now giving her continuous headaches.

After being told to book accommodation and keep the invoices by Insurefor, the Crawley-based company told them on Wednesday they were not willing to pay.

The pair tied the knot on the 9 July 2022 and decided to go to Turkey 11 days later

They said it was because Louise gave birth seven weeks and five days before her due date but if she was eight weeks or above they would have paid up.

"Just because of two days the insurance company are not paying out," said Stephen.

"It took them from Monday to Wednesday to make this decision, and it feels like from Monday to Wednesday they were trying to find a loophole to not pay the money.

"They were telling us 'don't worry, we're going to pay' and now we're literally on our own."

Louise added: "You don't expect to be in this position when you get insurance to pay for all of this stuff."

Stephen and Louise have already paid €5,000 (£4,188) for Louise's hospital discharge, a further €5,250 (£4,397) for the medical bill for two days for his son and several thousand euros for accommodation.

The newlyweds expressed feelings of "anger" and "disappointment" and added they felt "let down" by the company.

A GoFundMe page, set up by family in the UK to help with their costs, has already raised more than £4,500.